How fast will US electricity demand grow, and what's driving it?
Core argument: BofA Global Research estimates US electrical demand will grow at a 2.5% CAGR through 2035, up from a 0.5% CAGR over 2014–2024, driven by building electrification, data centers, industrial demand, and EV adoption.
Energy demand is surging – and will continue to do so for an extended period, which will require significant additions to power generation capacity and higher capex in order to grow the grid. While the drivers of this growth have changed over time, demand is largely due to 1) building electrification; 2) data centers; 3) industrial demand; and 4) electric vehicle (EV) adoption. BofA Global Research estimates that US electrical demand will increase at a 2.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2035E. That compares to just a 0.5% CAGR from 2014-2024. As electricity demand ramps, utility companies will need to invest more in capacity expansion for the grid. In 2024, US utilities invested $35 billion on transmission capex and $60 billion on distribution capex. However, expansion capex represented only 33% of total transmission and distribution capex, with replacements and upgrades the remaining 67%. While US electrical demand grew at a 0.5% CAGR over 2014-24, transmission and distribution spending has grown at an 8.9% CAGR, largely due to the aging nature of the US grid.

